- * Christian Celebrants Remain Indoors
By Princess Simon (Bureau Chief North Central, in Minna)
Christmas celebration on Monday in parts of Niger State witnessed low-keyed celebration, as most of the adherents of the Christian faith remained indoors due to prevailing economic situation.
The Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) Niger state chapter, Most Rev. Dr. Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, has expressed regrets that true love is lacking among Nigerians, the political class inclusive, arguing that without true love, the country cannot attain her desired greatness.
Bishop Yohanna also noted that as a leader, loving people means that all your actions and inactions must not be without their consent and approval of whatever decisions you are taking on their behalf as a representative of the people at both national, state and local government levels.
In a sermon titled: 'Genuine Love that breaks all barriers', the CAN chairman traced some of the challenges facing Nigeria to lack of genuine love for the masses by those in the corridors of power who consider their interests above that of the electorates and the generality of Nigerians.
Taking his reading from the various chapters of the Bible, Most Rev. Bulus who is also the Bishop of Kontagora Catholic Diocese, told his congregation at the Christmas church service at the Cathedral church of St. Michael, Kontagora, that there is no genuine love amongst the leaders and that is why they take decisions and force it down the throats of the Nigerian masses.
Genuine love is borne out of genuineness of heart to sacrifice one's interest for the good of the common man, instead of forcing themselves and some unpopular policies and programmes on the citizens.
He said, “in the church today, even in our larger society and in government, there is no genuine love. Love is the basis for which we celebrate Christmas. So I charge you to imbibe genuine love in all your dealings this Christmas and beyond without thinking about what you will get in return.
“As Christians, we are expected to show and share the love with everyone, especially the less privileged, the sick, those who are in need and even the elderly. But unfortunately, the kind of love showed by us is the one that we also expect to gain something in return and not symbiosis”, the CAN chairman posited.
He therefore called on leaders to always consider the people's views before embarking on any project, adding that, “if a leader genuinely loves his people, he meets and discusses what they really need and how it will benefit them before embarking on such venture.
“A President or Governor must first check whether the programme will impact on the people positively or not. I am worried that politicians only remember the common man during elections and after that, they are left on their own.
"Jesus Christ who is the reason for the season, he argued, was popular among the people because he was always with the poor helping them. If there is genuine love, the problem we are having today won’t be there", he stated. NNL.
